All is Fair in Love and Wizardry
by Charlotte2495
Summary: Right after AWoM, Nita and Kit have finally taken that extra step into becoming more than "just friends," but things get a bit complicated when they discover that a certain missing wizard may have been hiding right under their noses. Ch 9 is up
1. The Moon May Not Be Far Enough

**All is Fair in Love and Wizardry**

A Young Wizards Fanfic

Note: Takes place the morning Nita wakes up after the last scene in _A Wizard of Mars _by Diane Duane

**Chapter 1: **The Moon May Not Be Far Enough****

One morning, a girl woke up feeling the most excited she'd felt in a long time. It was surprising, because she had been through some pretty exciting things in her short life. She had experienced everything from talking to trees to saving the entire universe, and almost anything imaginable in between. But that morning, there was a completely different kind of excitement that she was feeling and it had a lot to do with a certain wizard that she had become very close to over the last few years.

Kit Rodriguez had been Nita's best friend ever since they met in the park that fated day. Over a short time they naturally became wizardry partners. Their relationship had always been an easy one and their friendship had always felt just right or at least up until lately. Nita had become attracted to Kit in ways that were a little more than "friendly." She tried to put the feelings aside and continue being Kit's friend but last night something unexpected and amazing had happened. Nita referred to Kit as her boyfriend without really realizing it during a heated fight with an alien princess. Somehow Kit overheard and brought it up during a dream she had had. Fortunately he felt the same way and they took that extra step to becoming more than friends.

As Nita was on her way to get dressed she realized that she had no idea what to wear to Kit's house. It seemed stupid that she suddenly wanted to impress him since it never mattered before but there was a nagging voice in the back of her head saying that it did and this time it wasn't Bobo. She decided to go with a skirt and a tank top to try and look presentable while at the same time hiding the fact that his opinion of her appearance mattered so much.

She was on her way downstairs to get some breakfast when her sister Dairine burst out of her room. Dairine was about to go down stairs too when she looked at Nita with an odd expression on her face.

She cocked her head sideways and said "You look way too happy way too early in the morning. What happened?"

Nita immediately started blushing and was tempted to lie and say nothing but wizards are against lying about anything and Dairine would have gotten it out of her at some point anyway.

"I'm just on my way to Kit's house. I'm really glad this whole Martian mess is over," which was true enough. It just wasn't the main reason for her good mood. Unfortunately, being too smart for her own good, Dairine saw right through this.

"Oh really? I think there may be a little more to it than that… perhaps something going on between you and Kit?" Dairine said with a devious smile on her face.

Nita's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "How would you know that? Have you been spying on me?" she said unwilling to tell her sister straight out what was going on.

"Ha! I knew it! Daaaaad!" Dairine screamed down the hallway, "Nita's got a boyfriend! For real this time!"

Nita wanted to vanish, which she could very well do considering the fact that she was a wizard, but she might as well get telling her father out of the way. Fortunately, their father was a heavy sleeper and didn't seem to hear her sister so Nita sighed with relief and decided to skip breakfast and leave before her sister decided to pursue the matter. A few minutes later, Nita was gone.

Kit was sitting in his room thinking about Nita. Ever since the big showdown on Mars, he hadn't been able to stop. He reflected on all of his memories of himself and Nita and it took a while for there were a lot. Every few seconds he found himself thinking _how had I failed to notice? _

Looking back, he saw that he's felt this way for a while now and forced himself to ignore it. The thing was, now that he acknowledged those feelings he couldn't seem to control himself. He was eagerly awaiting Nita's arrival, at the same time dreading it. He was afraid that calling him her boyfriend may have been a slip up and that she hadn't really meant it at all. In fact, he left in the dream before she had a chance to really think about it. What if she realized during those few short hours that she didn't actually feel that way? He wasn't sure if he could handle it. Not only would he lose his best friend but he'd also lose her as his wizardry partner and that was not something he was willing to sacrifice no matter how strongly he felt about her.

Since sitting there and dwelling on the many ways things could go wrong was not at all productive, he decided to try and remain optimistic and just let what happens happen. He went downstairs passed the living room and found his sister watching the alien shopping channel.

"Call now to buy this _brevta _now and we'll throw in a free _kursh!_" the TV said.

He resisted the urge to peek at the TV and give away his curiosity at what Carmela was watching. Instead he walked into the kitchen where his Mama was looking for her keys.

"They're next to the fruit bowl," Kit said, knowing where they were without using and wizardry whatsoever. It was the same place she seemed to leave them every time she needed them.

His Mama looked next to the bowl and looked back at her son with a mixed look of embarrassment, annoyance, and gratitude.

"Thank you _Niño. _I've got to go to work, I'll see you later. Tell your Popi not to forget to get the groceries."

"Ok Mama, bye," Kit replied, slightly relieved that his mother wouldn't be there to see what would happen when Nita showed up.

He waited in the kitchen with a bowl a cereal for what seemed like hours. Finally, he heard the familiar sound of displaced air in his backyard. He quickly tried to look casual, as if he hadn't been anticipating her arrival since their dream meeting.

She slid open the door that led from the backyard to the living room.

"Hey Carmela, is Kit around?" Kit heard Nita ask Carmela.

"Just moped into the kitchen like a lost puppy," Carmela said with a hint of amusement.

Kit wasn't sure if he should have been embarrassed by her comment, or just glad that Nita had finally come. Then he realized that as soon as she entered the kitchen, if life was going to change either for better or for worst and he wasn't sure how to handle either scenario.

Then Nita walked into the kitchen with a forgotten smile and a look on her face that said everything he needed to know. He could see that she had been looking forward to their meeting just as much as Kit was and that she wasn't at all unsure about her feelings for Kit. He wasn't sure why he'd been worried in the first place. Her mere presence seemed to affect him in a way that he had first noticed at the barbeque the day before. He wanted to touch her in some way, just make sure she was actually there and he wasn't just dreaming. She came over to him and the smile on her face grew.

"Hey," she said trying to look nonchalant and punching him softly on the shoulder.

Kit, feeling on top of the world and confident in their mutual attraction, grabbed Nita's wrist and pulled her close enough that they were standing with just a few inches between their faces. She looked back at him with surprise, pleasure, and perhaps even encouragement in her eyes. Just as Kit began to lean closer, someone appeared at the kitchen door.

"Ugh! Why don't you two just get a room already?" Carmela cries indignantly, "some of us would like to use the kitchen for its intended purpose, which was preparing and consuming food last time I checked."

Nita backed up a little but not looking at all sorry.

"I supposed this means that you two are officially an item now?" Carmela continued.

"Whoa, wait a second. Officially?" Kit said.

"Well, you were practically joined at the hip before and I just assumed you carried on in private where no one could see. Are you telling me you've actually just been _friends _all this time? Wow Kit, you're slower than I thought you were which is really saying something. If I had known it would take you this long to make a move, I would have intervened long ago."

Before he could respond Carmela walked away leaving Kit torn between rage and embarrassment while Nita was resisted the urge to giggle.

"Why don't we head up to the moon?" Nita suggested once she pulled herself together.

"Knowing my sister that may not be far enough," Kit replied exasperated, "but it's worth a try. Let's go."


	2. Unexpected Revelations

**Chapter 2: **Unexpected Revelations****

Once they were on the moon Kit and Nita sat on two rocks facing each other. Kit knew that he was probably grinning like the village idiot, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Nita had the same expression on her face, but rather than looking foolish, she seemed to appear adorable and elegant at the same time, though how she managed this Kit had no idea. He looked at all the unique features of her face, trying to memorize them and save the memories for later. While he was doing this, he failed to notice that Nita had said been talking.

"Kit, are you listening?" she asked, looking concerned and a tad annoyed.

"Oh sorry, I was a bit… uh… distracted," Kit replied as he started to blush.

Luckily, Nita didn't seem to pick up on his embarrassment because she continued to talk.

"As I was saying, are you sure about this Kit? What if it doesn't work out? Losing a boyfriend would be bad enough but I'd also be losing my best friend and partner in wizardry. I'm not sure if I'd be able to survive the hole that would be left after that."

Nita had a frightened expression on her face shocked Kit out of his reverie.

"Nita, there's nothing to worry about. For one thing, we've been through way too much together for something like that to completely remove us from each other's lives. For another, even if we're trying something new with our relationship, that doesn't mean we're not going to be best friends anymore. In fact, I don't see how things are going to change all that much from before. I hate to admit this considering the source, but Carmela did say that we were practically dating already, so it should be an easy transition."

Kit saw Nita gradually become more and more relaxed as he spoke, which in turn relaxed him as well. By the time he finished speaking, she looked at him as if he had just relieved some heavy burden from her shoulders.

Once she was completely reassured, there was a new expression on her face. It was a bit more mischievous and passionate. Without even realizing what was happening, Kit found that he had been leaning closer and closer to her face to the point where their noses almost touched. Another thing he realized was that Nita smelled _amazing._It was as if the scent of spring and life wafted from her.

With just a second's hesitation on Kit's part, Nita beat him to the punch and pressed her lips to his. Her mouth was soft yet firm and Kit was lost in the tingling sensation she brought him. There was more than just physical closeness though. Their minds seemed to be mixing and exploring, starting to understand each other on a much deeper level and going deeper still. Kissing felt both exhilarating and completely natural as if they had been made to do this.

Something in the back of Kit's mind said _how is it that I've known her all this time and not known what I was missing?_

He could feel Nita agreeing, even as they parted momentarily for air. Kit immediately missed her warmth and wasn't sure if he would have been capable of forming complete sentences for a minute. It was okay though because it was enough just to sit there and know Nita was within an arms distance. He couldn't remember a time went he'd felt happier.

"Well that was interesting," Nita said, sounding a bit out of breathe.

This comment struck Kit as such an understatement that he started cracking up.

"I think it was a little more than interesting," Kit responded to the bemused look on Nita's face once he got himself together.

Nita smiled, which by itself was enough to make Kit's heart skip a beat, and punched him in the arm hard.

"Ow! What did I do?" Kit exclaimed with surprise.

"That was for yesterday night. I told you I'd get you for it and now I have," she explained with amusement.

"I guess I kind of deserved that," he admitted reluctantly with a crooked smile.

Kit noticed that he had totally disheveled Nita's hair. Somehow she managed to remain beautiful, even when her hair was a mess and he started to fix it, if only as an excuse to run his fingers through it. He half expected Nita to stop him but she didn't seem to have any objections.

Suddenly, Nita's gaze went vacant. Kit started waving his hands in front of her face but there was no response. He checked her pulse and made sure she was breathing and everything seemed fine there. After a minute he began to get very worried and started saying her name.

"Nita!" he cried over and over as he shook her. Just before he set his gears to full panic-mode, Nita came to and looked at him with shock.

"Oh my god, Nita! You scared me half to death! I was beginning to think that you weren't going to come back," Kit said as he crushed her to him with relief.

"It was the strangest thing. I think I just had a vision, but it has never been so aggressive before. Usually I have to coax it along, persuade it to make itself clear enough to make sense. This time it blindsided me with absolutely no warning."

Nita looked shaken, but Kit wasn't sure if it was from the suddenness of the vision or what she actually saw. Knowing she'd tell him in her own time he gave her a moment to compose herself and gather her thoughts.

After she looked relatively calmed down, Kit looked at her expectantly.

"It was completely dark," Nita said, "I couldn't see, hear, or feel anything for a moment. Then there was this sudden golden glow that slowly shimmered into existence before me. It seemed to be hanging onto a bright red thread for dear life. There was a feeling of determination and fear emanating from it."

Kit stared at her and asked, "What could it mean?"

"Kit, the golden glow was humanoid shaped and seemed to have long flowing hair. If this is what I think it is, Roshaun is calling for help. I think that bright red thread he was dangling off of was part of Dairine's soul. And Kit, if we don't get to him soon, I think he might cease to exist."


	3. Senior Advice

**A/N: **I'm apologizing in advance in case you don't think I'm staying true enough to the original characters (which I don't own by the way). I try, but hey, can't be perfect. I also apologize for the lack of action. I honestly enjoy getting into the characters head's and finding out exactly what they're thinking, but don't worry, there will be more action soon. Enjoy

**Chapter 3: **Senior Advice****

Dairine Callahan had been through a lot in her relatively short time as a wizard. She had experienced the kinds of things that most non-wizards couldn't even imagine. She'd been through great times such as witnessing the birth of a new species and visiting intergalactic space stations with millions of different types of life bustling about. She'd experienced the really hard times too, like losing initial power levels and watching her mother die. She's managed to survive, and even to a certain extent, come to terms with everything that's been thrown at her so far. What she couldn't understand was why she felt so strongly for him and why she couldn't identify that feeling.

Her immediate impression of the Sun King (Prince when they first met) was that he was not worth a second of her time. Things started out so simply, why couldn't they be that way now? Now, they were much more complicated. Just thinking about him brought a vast array of thoughts and feelings that Dairine was both terrified and determined to sort out. The first thing she felt was annoyance. Then there was fury. She wasn't sure if it was at him, the universe, herself, or all three.

After the fury passed, she felt a strange drop of joy, which led to thinking about his long golden hair that looked softer that silk and perfectly untangled, though how he managed it, she would never know. He was taller than Dairine, and carried himself in a way that never let her forget it. He had this air about him that just about screamed "I'm better than you" in that matter of fact manner about which he responded to everything. He always had to have his way and let absolutely no one sway his opinion on anything, reminding her of the necklace that he had made her keep.

The necklace inevitably led to a deep sense of loss and sorrow that she couldn't avoid. It was similar to the burning hole that her mother had left when she passed away but different. With her mother, Dairine had grown to accept that she was never coming back, at least in this lifetime, and that she was in Timeheart. She didn't have to worry about her mother ever feeling pain again. With Roshaun though, there was no certainty making it much worse. The only thing she had to somewhat reassure her was that blank spot next to his physical status in the manual. Just thinking about where he could possibly be just tore her up inside, but at least there was a slight possibility that he could be saved.

That being the only legitimate piece of knowledge she had, she was determined to find him no matter how long it took. She may not be sure about much, but of this she was absolutely certain. Nothing that happened to her could affect her will and determination. But since finding him was obviously not going to happen with the snap of her fingers, she might as well keep busy doing something useful.

Roshaun's father had been teaching her how to work with stars lately. Dairine use every spare moment she could find to escape her own world and continue her work on planet Wellakh. She didn't know if she just wanted to take on another challenge or if she wanted to feel as if she was making progress in some way, shape, or form because she sure as hell wasn't making any progress whatsoever in finding Roshaun. He left with absolutely no trace and it made absolutely no sense. She supposed that if there was no trail to follow leading away from the moon then he must still be around somewhere.

The weird thing was that she still felt his presence. It was very faint, but she was positive that it was him she was sensing. It followed her everywhere she went, but she had no idea why. She assumed she felt this way because they were linked but her Hunch told her it was more than that, though what exactly she couldn't say.

While Dairine was lying on the couch in her living room and examining her thoughts, she was startled by the sudden, "Uh oh," coming from the floor in front of her.

_Well that can't be good…_

"What's wrong Spot?" Dairine inquired, almost afraid to hear the answer.

Spot sat their seeming to try and decide how to tell her.

"It wasn't so much bad but it was very peculiar…"

"Come on Spot, spit it out," she said, starting to get annoyed.

"You just displayed a sudden burst of energy, but it didn't match your signature!" Spot cried.

_What!_

"Care to elaborate?" she replied trying to remain as calm as possible.

"It would appear that someone has done some sort of wizardry through you."

"Wait, that shouldn't even be possible! Have you figured out what it did?"

"It was extremely brief, so I couldn't quite get a lock on it. All I got were colors," Spot admitted, looking slightly embarrassed, "there was some red and gold, but nothing concrete."

Dairine sighed, her mood soured by the unexplained intrusion. "Well, see what you can get out of that. I'm going to pay our Seniors a little visit."

~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~

Nita and Kit were just walking into Tom and Carl's backyard when there was a small explosion of displaced air. They looked over and saw Dairine appear.

_There are no coincidences, _Kit thought to Nita.

_I guess she was going to need to know sooner or later, though I'm not sure how she's going to react, _Nita replied.

As they watched Dairine, she walked up to them and said, "What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen a transit spell before?" Dairine sounded a little more on edge than usual so Nita decided against returning her scowl.

"We're here to talk to Tom and Carl. In fact, it's probably for the best that you're here because it involves you as well. What are you doing here?" Nita asked.

"To talk to Tom and Carl, same as you two," Dairine answered, "You know, I'm surprised you've managed to keep your hands off each other long enough to actually complete a transit spell. Just try and keep it PG around me though because I'd really like to keep my breakfast firmly in my stomach where it belongs."

Kit look at Dairine, too shocked to even be embarrassed while Nita quietly fumed. What if Tom and Carl had heard? They would never have been able to look them in the eyes again. Luckily, they didn't come outside until about a minute later and didn't appear to have heard anything.

"What's up guys?" Tom asked.

Kit looked at Nita sidelong. "Well, we were up on the moon and I had this vision." Both Nita and Kit started blushing as she mentioned this, remembering some other things that had been going on at the same time.

"Anyway, I think Roshaun was trying to send out a distress call," Nita said, noticing that this statement immediately got Dairine's attention. Nita went on to describe what she saw and Dairine grew more and more hopeful.

"So you're saying that he's been here with me all along?" Dairine said with a mixture of relief and excitement on her face.

"Well it certainly sounds like it," Carl said. "Life does seem to find the strangest ways to survive sometimes. I haven't heard of any cases that are particularly similar, but it sounds possible. Probable even."

"You and Roshaun did seem to share a strong bond," Tom added, "strong enough to keep him tethered to Time and prevent his soul from escaping to Timeheart. Sadly though, no matter how strong your bond is, a soul can't stay too long here without a physical body to contain it. I'm surprised he's been able to stay so long."

_If he's anywhere near as stubborn as Dairine, which he probably is, _Nita thought, _I can't say that I'm at all surprised. _

"How much time does he have left?" Dairine asked, looking a little nauseous.

Carl and Tom looked at each other uneasily. Then Carl said, "Well, Roshaun disappeared a couple months ago right? I'd say he's got till the end of this month before he passes on permanently."

Dairine stared at the ground. "That only gives him about 1 more week." Her voice was very small and she looked like she was fighting the urge to cry. Then suddenly, she looked straight at Tom and Carl with a fierce look in her eye and said, "Can I save him?"

"Well, it's possible, but the chances of succeeding are… not favorable," Tom replied. "But since I know that's never stopped you before, there is one option. It's dangerous though and you need to know exactly what you're getting into before you decide on anything. Are you sure you're up to this?"

"Try me," Dairine said.

"I had a feeling you'd say that," Tom sighed. "There are two things you're going to have to do in a short amount of time. One, you need to locate Roshaun's physical body. The reason the manual had a blank space next to his name is that the manual connects to every living being's soul. They all have a unique signature that the manual uses to identify them. Since the body has no soul, there is no way for the manual to identify it. The problem is, without a physical presence in Time, there's no way to pinpoint where someone is. The soul ends up existing in between the inside of Time, where we all live, and outside of Time, where Timeheart and the Powers That Be reside."

"Dairine, you're going to have to track down his body and soul in order to bring him back. It's not going to be easy and you're going to need help." Dairine glared at Kit and Nita, knowing what he was implying.

"Why do I need their help?" Dairine demanded.

"While you go searching for Roshaun's body, Kit and Nita will be able to take a little trip into _your _soul to find him. There's no way you can do this by yourself in a week. Besides Kit and Nita have a lot more experience with non-corporeal universes."

After seeming to have a large debate between pride and rationality, rationality won and Dairine looked over at Kit and Nita defeated.

"Fine, but you guys better not screw up in there."

"Yes we'd love to help, thanks for asking," Kit said under his breath. Nita smiled and said to Dairine, "We'll do our best."

Dairine glanced at Nita looking annoyed yet grateful and said, "Looks like we've got a long week ahead of us."


	4. Parental Support

**A/N: **My apologies again for the lack of action. I swear the next chapter will be much more exciting. It also may take a few days since I have homework to do (in fact I should have been doing it when I wrote this…) Until then, enjoy.

**Chapter 4: **Parental Support****

Ed Callahan always tried to be supportive and understanding of his daughters, especially about their wizardry and all that that entails. He had grown relatively comfortable with all the strange things that tended to happen on a daily basis in the Callahan household. It had almost become normal for him. He even enjoyed it occasionally. This was not one of those times.

When Nita and Dairine had come into the living as he was reading the paper, he could see just by the look on their faces that they were going to do something dangerous and scary but needed to be doing anyway. He loved and respected his daughters for their bravery and couldn't have been prouder but that didn't stop him from wishing that they didn't have to experience so much pain in their line of work. He almost didn't want to know what they were doing but, if only for the sake of his sanity, he had to at least have some idea of _why _he was going to be worrying about them in their absence.

Nita and Dairine looked at each other, almost as if they were silently deciding who would be explaining their current mission to him. After a moment Nita turned to him and said, "Daddy, we think we've found Roshaun."

Their father looked at them with a mixture of relief and shock. Roshaun had been, to say the least, an acquired taste, but he had grown relatively fond of him and grateful for his part in repairing the sun. It had also broken his heart to see how empty Dairine seemed to be when she had come home the day they saved the universe. Dairine had gotten a little better over time, but Ed could tell that she had never quite recovered. It worried him but he knew his daughter was strong and that she'd trudge on, if only to spite those who didn't think she could.

"Where is he?" he asked.

"It's kind of hard to explain. Maybe a more accurate way of saying this is that we have a good idea where his soul is and how we can possibly save him," Nita answered, looking a tired.

"His soul?" Nita's father said dubiously.

"Yeah, he somehow managed to get a foothold in Dairine's soul and has been hanging on for dear life ever since. He doesn't have much time left," Nita said gravely. "Kit and I are going to see if we can locate him in Dairine while Dairine goes and searches for his physical body. They need to be put back together by the end of the week, so we're going to be away for that long."

"Wait, how are you guys going to find his body? I thought Dairine had tried everything she could think of and nothing came up."

"The problem was," Dairine explained, "the spells I used to look for him used a form of his name from when he was all one being, body and soul. When he got divided, the name was no longer valid and the spells didn't find anything. Now that I know what I'm looking for, finding his body should be the easy part. Kit and Nita are the ones who may have a bit more trouble finding his soul." She seemed irritated that she wouldn't be going along for the more difficult part of the mission but she decided to keep that irritation to herself for the moment.

"So where's Kit?" Mr. Callahan asked, trying to keep his composure and genuinely wondering where Kit was because not seeing him at Nita's side or somewhere nearby at this time of day struck him as a bit odd. He was yet again amazed by how comfortable he'd become with things that just a few years before would have just about terrified him. He had certainly never thought he'd be ok with his eldest daughter constantly hanging around with a boy and consider the boy practically family.

"He's telling his family about what we're going to do. He's coming over later for dinner so we can prepare," Nita said, suddenly flushed and a little surprised by the change in subject.

"When are you kids planning on heading out?"

"Kit and I are leaving tomorrow morning and Dairine wanted to get started right after we left."

"Ok. Dinner will be ready in an hour."

"Alright…"

Dairine walked out of the room looking, as always, like she had someplace else to be. Nita however lingered a little longer as if she had something more to say.

"Something wrong sweetheart?"

Nita looked at him looking torn. After a moment she shook her head and said, "It's nothing Daddy. I'll see you in a little while." She turned and walked out of the room a little faster than usual.

Ed Callahan sighed, leaned back in his chair, and returned to reading his paper and being amused by the fact that he was doing something so ordinary with so many extraordinary things going on all around him.

~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~

Nita walked up the stairs to her room to await Kit's arrival. She thought, for the billionth time in her life, how lucky she was to have such an understanding father. She also felt guilty about not telling him about her relationship with Kit when she had the chance. She wasn't sure how he'd react and she wasn't sure if she wanted to find out. What she did know was that he was going to have to find out eventually and that it would be best to tell him as soon as possible instead of delaying the inevitable any further.

When she reached her room, Nita sat on her bed and opened her manual. She had gotten permission from Tom and Carl to go into Dairine's soul and seek out Roshaun and now she looked up the chapter on alternate universe. This mission was going to be different than what she did with her mother because one, she wasn't trying to change Dairine (not that she hadn't had any thoughts about it), and two, the soul was a far more complex thing than the human body. Nita had to be sure that she didn't affect anything in a way that would hurt herself, Kit, Dairine, or Roshaun.

She looked at her book and noticed that the kernel section had grown much thicker, which was as expected since she now needed more information. She also looked up tracking spells that could come in handy while on errantry. She came across a few that could be useful and made charms to add to her charm bracelet.

She and Kit were going to have to make some sort of spell matrix for him to have because the manual wasn't very reliable when it came to these alternate universes and she wanted them both to be prepared for anything.

As she finished up reading a chapter on tracking through the use of one of the missing person's personal items Nita heard a door sliding and Kit greeting her father as he made his way up to her room.

She listened to his footsteps with anticipation, knowing she was way more excited than she ought to be. When he got close enough that she knew he was on the other side of the door, she had to restrain herself from leaping off the bed and yanking the door open. Instead, she sat on her bed looking at her book trying to appear indifferent as he entered the room.

Once he walked in she gave up her charade, got off the bed and hugged him hard.

"Neets, I've only been gone for 2 hours," Kit said amused but hugging her back just as hard because he missed her too. They broke apart reluctantly knowing there was work to do and trying their best to pretend that they weren't finding it at all difficult to "keep their hands to themselves" as Dairine would put it.

"Kit, we need to make you a spell matrix. That and the spell's we have memorized are all we'll have at our disposal. What shape do you want it to be?" Nita asked.

"Well, I was thinking it could be shaped like a belt and my spells could be hanging off of it or something," Kit responded.

"Kit, I'm sorry to say this, but that has got to be one of the lamest things you could possibly think of. Just the thought of you wearing some sort of wizardly utility belt is ridiculous," Nita laughed.

"Well, I'm sure as hell not wearing a charm bracelet! I've got my reputation to think about, and I know wearing a bracelet with do anything but contribute to my image of masculinity," Kit said, looking like his ego had been wounded.

"Fine, fine. Your so-called reputation aside, we are just going to have to come up with something better," Nita insisted.

After bouncing some ideas back and forth they settled on making a key chain that he could keep in his pocket.

The evening went by fairly quickly and easily. After dinner they finished Kit's key chain and Kit went home.

~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~

The following morning Nita and Kit were at Central Station. Dairine had accompanied them as far as the entrance then left them to make her way to the gate she was going to use. They had found their exit gate and provided all the necessary identification, which was basically scanning in their manuals since it functioned as an intergalactic passport.

They stepped through the gate onto the platform and held hands as they wait nervously for the countdown to reach zero and send them to their destination.

"Kit, what do you think we'll find once we get there?" Nita asked feeling worried.

"Hopefully, Roshaun. But I think we can handle whatever else we find if there's need, as long as we're together," Kit stated matter-of-factly.

This had been just the reassurance Nita was looking for. She smiled slightly to herself and thanked the One that Kit was so good at keeping her from becoming unnerved.

With that thought, the gate reached zero and the two wizards vanished, wondering what they would end up facing once they rematerialized in the depths of Dairine's soul.


	5. Conflicting Emotions

**A/N: **I know that anyone reading this must be a YW fan, so you guys may appreciate the comparison between YW and Harry Potter in the link below. I am biased for I haven't read Harry Potter, but if the movies are any indicator, this blog post was spot on. Sorry Harry Potter Fans, YW is just better.

http:/www. borg-princess. livejournal. com/83698. html#cutid2 (Don't forget to remove spaces)

If you disagree with me, it's all good. Enjoy the new chapter regardless.

**Chapter 5: **Conflicting Emotions****

Dairine was sitting in one of the cafés trying to get a lock on Roshaun's location. For some reason, the location kept changing as if the body was transiting to different places and there was no way to predict where it would appear next.

Dairine glared at nothing in particular and grunted with frustration. It seemed like someone was interfering and she had a pretty good idea who was responsible, indirectly at least. For the time being though, she was going to have to just work with what she had.

In order to figure this out, she was going to have to find the source of interference. Hopefully finding the person responsible would either lead her to the body or at least prevent it from moving. She had a plan for tracking the perpetrator but it would come at a cost. It was possible to cast a spell on something without knowing specifically where it resided in the physical universe, but wizardry really didn't like that and as it is, she wouldn't get a very clear reading on who the person was.

As usual, Dairine cared not if there was any cost due to a whole lot of stubbornness and desperation.

"You got the spell diagram set up Spot?" Dairine asked.

"Yes, you can begin at anytime," Spot replied.

Dairine began to read the words of Speech that were on Spot's screen and she felt the universe leaning in to listen just as it always did when a wizard made such a request.

Despite the fear she felt, there was nothing that could deny her the joy of doing even the simplest of wizardries. There was something extremely satisfying in knowing that you were doing the work of the One and Life, serving some greater purpose by doing things that seemed so small. She couldn't imagine a world without wizardry, more so than she couldn't imagine a world where she didn't save Roshaun.

As she spoke the wizard's knot and ended the spell, she immediately felt as if she had run from one end of her school to the other. After a minute of recuperation she looked back at Spot to view the results of the spell.

It gave her an image of a humanoid that appeared to be in his mid twenties by human standards and wore what Dairine thought was a rather garish wardrobe that looked somewhat familiar. It was much like the outfit Roshaun wore on Wellakh but less regal. Perhaps it was something the commoners would wear, for she saw many Wellakh natives dressed this way when she stood before his people.

Also much like his people, the person who had Roshaun obviously wasn't a friendly guy. In fact, this guy was even more threatening that the others had been, if only for his extremely dark expression. The look on his face just about screamed ill intent and he obviously wasn't a big fan of the Sun King. He had a darker shade of golden hair than Roshaun and the gold he wore was of a deeper hue than any she'd ever seen. This guy actually had facial hair, which was very odd for pretty much all the Wallakhi males she'd seen were clean shaven.

As she examined his physical features, Spot searched through the manual's vast database to find a match. As he did that Dairine got up and started pacing. Why is this guy planet hopping with Roshaun's body? Does he know what happened? What is he planning? How do I stop him? The questions that ran through Dairine's head seemed endless.

"Dairine, I have a match," Spot said a minute later.

She walked over to see what he found. As she read the screen she slowly became more and more fearful. It turned out that the mystery Wallakhi was nobility, or at least he used to be. He was part of one of the wealthiest families on the planet until his father did something to upset the Sun-King-That-Was who removed all his wealth and titles. His name was Taissan and he had been rumored to take part in various assassination attempts but there was never enough evidence to do anything about it until recently. He was finally caught trying to kill the Sun-King-That-Was while Roshaun was on Earth. Unfortunately he had escaped and had been in hiding ever since.

"Spot, we've got problems," Dairine said gravely.

"Yes, we do. How do you suppose he obtained possession of the body?" Spot asked.

"I have a hunch that a certain someOne may have helped him out. The Lone Power probably realized that Roshaun's soul couldn't be manipulated but his body could. He's playing keep away so that he can draw out Roshaun's suffering and enjoy our pain when we fail. Hopefully he won't get tired of his little game before we save Roshaun, but this is definitely going to complicate things. Track his movements Spot. We're going to find this guy and have a little chat with him about the consequences of messing with Dairine Callahan."

With a mischievous glint in her eye, Dairine set off to find a gate that would get her to her first destination.

~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~

Kit and Nita appeared in a very bright red place. It was so bright, they were almost blinded and for a split second, Nita had thought that they made a wrong turn and transited to the sun. After a minute her eyes readjusted and she looked around. The floor appeared to be molten lava but there was no heat coming off of it and it was oddly solid enough to walk on. It would go from calm to violent without any provocation that Nita could see but she figured that it must be a manifestation of Dairine's emotions and she did not seem happy.

Though the ground was hard enough to walk on it did refuse to stay level for any length of time. Kit and Nita had to hold on to each other to keep steady when the floor suddenly bucked beneath them.

"Oh god, I think I'm going to be sick," said Kit looking a little green but trying his hardest to hold it together.

"That makes two of us," Nita replied. "Come on. Let's see if we can find some place that will stand still for more than two seconds."

They walked, or staggered rather, for a while until they finally saw a mass of land that was covered in something white and smooth. As they got closer Nita realized that it was silicon. It was the same thing that the Mobiles' planet was made of.

Once they made it to the silicon, they sat down and took a breather, glad for the moment of rest. Nita looked around and noticed that there was a large cluster of trees. They were extremely large in stature and seemed to go up forever. They were thick with age and experience despite Dairine's actual age. They looked as if they had just gone through a storm and there were broken branches everywhere. They were so close together that they formed an impenetrable wall. Nita could sense that there was something hidden in the center and when she touched the trees there was a definite feeling of hostility.

Nita recalled reading in the manual that the soul set up automatic safe guards against intruders since the soul was such an important and personal part of living beings. These safe guards could be both offensive and defensive. The defensive ones were usually harmless but the very environment can become belligerent.

Nita had hoped that being blood related would give her a pass but this was obviously not the case. She turned to go back to where Kit was sitting and was startled as she saw large hills forming everywhere, rising out of the silicon.

Nita darted back to Kit, just missing a claw of some sort swinging right where her head had been. The thing attacking her was much like the Mobiles Dairine had created but ten times the size and with a lot more threatening features.

"Kit, we've got to find the Kernel and calm this place down. Cover me!" Nita said as she closed her eyes began trying to sense the Kernel.

"Will we hurt Dairine if we kill them?" Kit asked.

"I don't think so, but maybe it would be best to stay on the safe side and just immobilize them instead," Nita suggested.

Just as she was beginning to pick up on the Kernel, Kit shoved her to the ground. She looked up and saw that the lava they had been walking on earlier formed weapons similar in shape to canons and were shooting at them. Before the lava almost seemed cool, but the balls coming at them were anything but. As it passed over Nita and Kit, who were at this point lying face down on the ground, they could feeling the scorching heat being released and were about a hair away from being barbequed.

Unfortunately, the lava canons seemed to have unlimited ammo and the Mobiles remained unaffected by it. The only way to stop this was to freeze them and find the Kernel before they unfroze. Kit put up a force field over the two of them to give them a minute to figure out what to do.

_Kit, we need to use that stasis spell that we put on Ronan when he stabbed himself, _Nita thought.

_Do you have a spell for that on hand? I don't have one and I certainly don't have something that complex memorized, _Kit replied.

_Yeah, it should hold for a while but I'm not sure how long since wizardry acts weird in here. Then we can go find the Kernel that will deactivate the security. _

_ Sounds like a plan. _

As Kit tried to hold against the constant pounding against the shield, Nita spoke the ending words of the stasis spell on her charm bracelet. As the spell set in she felt strong resistance. She wasn't sure how long she could hold it if they kept fighting it like that so she had to make the best of the time she had.

Kit let the shield down and Nita once again tried to find the Kernel. It was much easier to find now that they weren't in immediate danger. She tried to take in all her senses and felt a small vibration. She followed it and as the vibration got stronger Nita found that she was approaching a random patch of soil. There were no plants growing out of it but it looked very fertile.

Nita started digging with her hands knowing it was down there. She was totally entranced until Kit said, "Uh… Neets? They've broken out of the stasis. I can hold them for a little while but you need to _hurry!_" Kit panicked.

Nita dug faster, wishing she had a spell for digging. It was deeper than she thought it would be but after a minute she saw light shining through some loose dirt. She lifted it out of the hole she made and turned to face the Mobiles. As soon as she got her bearings she started manipulating the Kernel to send their attackers back into passive mode. The Kernel fought hard to resist tampering but eventually gave in.

Almost immediately the fire and attacking ceased. The Mobiles looked like they melted into the ground and the canons went back into the lava. Once Nita was sure that they would stay put she relaxed and looked at Kit. He looked tired but all in all he was uninjured.

"I think I'm going to hold on to the Kernel for a while. Don't know what else we may run into in here," Nita said as she examined it in her hands.

"You're probably right. You know, I was thinking. Can you imagine having to survive in here without the Kernel to keep us safe?" Kit asked.

"That would be terrible," Nita replied with a shudder.

"Well, I imagine that's what Roshaun has been going through since he got here. And what would you do when you had no way to defend yourself against these things?"

"I'd hide somewhere. Somewhere really hard to find or break into."

Kit and Nita looked at each other as they realized that this rescue mission was going to be even harder than expected.


	6. Unforeseen Complications

**A/N: **Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Thanks for checking back guys, it's nice to know people are reading. But you know what would be even nicer? Reviews! 2 reviews is nowhere near enough considering how many people seem to be reading, so don't forget to press that lovely little button at the bottom of the screen when you're done reading to convey any comments, questions, concerns, suggestions etc. Also, enjoy the chapter

**Chapter 6: **Unforeseen Complications ****

Dairine was not in a good mood. She had been planet hopping for hours following him wherever he went but somehow he managed to elude her. He wasn't a wizard, thank the Powers, but he seemed to be able to work around that and transit anyway. How, Dairine wasn't entirely sure since he wasn't using any public gates.

After a while she decided to change tactics since following him obviously wasn't getting her anywhere. She had spot pull up a map that had been tracing Taissan and she noticed a pattern. His path was getting closer and closer to Wellakh despite the fact that he was trying to shake Dairine off. He must be in a big hurry if he's willing to risk being followed just to get to Wellakh in time for God knows what.

Dairine's job suddenly got a whole lot easier. Now all she had to do was wait for him on Wellakh. Unfortunately, she had no idea when he would get there, so she was going to have to hope he'd be there before the week was up. If he kept up his pace, it should give her about a day to prepare.

Feeling a little more hopeful, Dairine set up a transit spell, destination Wellakh. She stepped into the spell diagram and said the words that would bring her to Roshaun's home. After about a second she was standing in his lavish home. She wasn't sure if she'd ever get used to the extravagance but it had grown almost comfortable after having been there so often.

She searched for Roshaun's mother knowing that she was a lot more agreeable that his father. She didn't have to search long because almost as soon as Dairine leaned out the door of the room she entered she heard someone say, "Dairine?"

"Hello, I've come with some news concerning your son," Dairine replied more formally than usual and pressing the Sun Queen's hands to her forehead in greeting.

"What kind of news?" the Queen asked apprehensively.

"Well, there's good and bad. The good news is that we know where Roshaun is and my sister, her partner and I are in the process of, uh… helping him get to the point where he's in a stable condition."

The Queen's face flushed with relief and joy until she realized that she hadn't heard the bad news yet.

"And the bad news?"

"His body and soul have been separated and it looks like Taissan has his body," Dairine responded a little afraid of how the Queen would react. But, much to Dairine's surprise, the Queen remained calm, cool, and collected. She knew exactly how potentially bad the situation could be and she took the news in stride once again making Dairine wish she could be just a bit more like her.

"Where is he now?" the Queen asked with purpose.

"If my suspicions are correct, he's on his way here. I came here to prepare for whatever he might have in his arsenal."

"Well, I know that he is no friend to the royal family and that he's one of the reasons that my husband is almost too afraid to sleep at night. I will assist you in your preparations. What do you need?"

"Information. I want to know his usual hangouts, people who are close to him, anything that will give me an idea of what I'm going to be facing."

The Queen knew the look on Dairine's face. She had often seen it on her husband, and even more so on her son. She knew that this facial expression was the result of an impossibly stubborn disposition and in discovering this, the Queen was somewhat comforted.

"We have a Covert Security Relations Council which, correct me if I'm wrong, operates much like the Central Intelligence Agency of your homeland. They are at your complete disposal. They have been tracking threats to the Royal Family ever since we became the Royal Family and they will likely be of great assistance to you."

"Thank you," Dairine replied as she quickly pressed the Queen's hands to her forehead and hurried away. After a moment she realized that she had no idea where to go so she turned around to ask the Queen. Before she could say a word the Queen said, "Turn right and keep straight until reach a door with green characters on it."

Grateful for some direction, Dairine nodded and was soon on her way to the Covert Security Relations Council chambers.

~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~

Kit and Nita had been wandering around for what felt like hours. They had tried the tracking spells they had brought along but Roshaun was making it very difficult to be found.

"How many days does he have left?" Nita asked.

"It's hard to tell. You know how these universes tend to warp time and make if feel faster than normal. It feels like we've been here for about 4 hours so I'd say it's been a day or two back home," Kit replied exasperated. "Neets, we don't have much time. How are we supposed to find him if he doesn't want to be found?"

Nita thought for a moment before realization set in. "Maybe instead trying to find Roshaun, we should help him find us. If we could signal him somehow I'm sure he'd be willing to come out into the open for the chance to be rescued. Unfortunately, we won't really be much help until Dairine finds Roshaun's body."

"How do you suppose we signal him? There's no guarantee that he's in a position to notice. It's likely that he's almost completely cut himself off which would explain why we can't use the Kernel to identify anyone who isn't Dairine," Kit said.

"Well, maybe we could use the Kernel make some sort of beacon…"

"This is Roshaun we're talking about, not Batman. I can't imagine he'd respond to a big light in the sky," Kit said amused.

"What if we used Dairine's built-in security to locate him? They're the last ones to have seen him. Maybe if we send them out they can relay the message that we're here. It would save us a lot of time."

"Sounds like a plan. While you do that, I think I'm going to nap until he gets here. I'm exhausted."

"Sure, I'll keep an eye out for him. I'll wake you up if something happens."

"Ok…" and with a yawn, Kit almost instantly fell asleep.

Nita was amazed that he could remain calm enough to sleep at all in their situation, but she was glad. It gave her a time to think after she sent out the message.

It also gave her time to admire Kit as he slept. She couldn't help gazing at his face. It had lost most of its baby fat and had an almost chiseled quality. He was transitioning from boyhood to manhood, but it wasn't awkward. It was more like the best parts of both phases of life had combined. It was probably a result of going through so many things at such a young age. There was an innocence that had somewhat dulled since she first met him replaced by wisdom and maturity that most of the adults she knew couldn't even fathom. Though he had grown up a lot, there was still a bit of mischief in the slight smile he had in his sleep.

Nita was surprised that he had changed so much and managed to remain Kit. She wasn't sure what she meant by this, but it made sense in her head. As she became lost in thought, Nita failed to notice a tall humanoid walking up from behind, which is why she was so startled when seemingly out of nowhere she heard, "Where have you been? My patience is wearing thin. Is it custom in your culture to keep a King waiting?"

Nita turned around as Kit woke up a bit confused.

"Roshaun! We've been looking all over for you!" Nita said as she stood up and helped Kit to his feet.

"It would seem you weren't looking hard enough. Now can we leave this place? I would much like to return home. Where is Dairine?" Roshaun asked. Nita could've sworn his voice softened just the tiniest bit towards the end there, but it was so quick she could have imagined it.

"As for your first question, no, we can't leave quite yet. As for your second question, Dairine is searching for your body as we speak. You're going to have to wait a little longer," Nita replied a little annoyed by the lack of gratitude. But then again, being stuck inside of Dairine's soul for extended periods of time would make anyone cranky.

"Fine. I suppose I can wait, but my ties to this world have been growing weak lately and I'd like to be gone before they dissolve completely."

"Yes, we know about your problem. Dairine is supposed to meet here with the body as soon as she gets a hold of it. Then we'll put you back together and everything should be right as rain," Kit said feeling a bit annoyed as well.

"Right as rain? Is this another one of your culture's strange idioms? I swear, half the things that come out of your mouths sound like complete nonsense," Roshaun said as if we personally insulted him somehow.

_Would it be in Life's best interest to leave him here to fade away? _Kit thought.

_Kit, you know that the Powers would be very upset with you. Not to mention Dairine, who, might I add, is way less likely to be merciful in her punishment, _Nita replied feeling amused because the thought had already occurred to her. She had a feeling they'd be there a while. Where could Dairine be?

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Dairine had consulted Wellakh's version of the CIA and was relatively certain where Taissan was going to end up. She learned that there was some sort of ceremony that would transfer Roshaun role as the guarantor of Wellakh to Taissan. It would make Taissan's descendants wizards and rulers of the planet. The ritual required the current ruler and his predecessor to be present and it had to take place in the center of the burned side of the planet.

Once Dairine found this out, she immediately transited there and found that Taissan was already there. He had drawn a spell diagram in the dirt that looked a lot like a Venn diagram with two overlapping circles. Roshaun's body was floating over one of the larger portions of a circle. There was a force field around the area the whole diagram.

Taissan was looking over a book when Dairine appeared. When he looked up and saw her he smiled a smile that just screamed malice. He also seemed to have expected her.

"Ah, Dairine. I knew you'd show up. Now be a doll and hand over that Sun Belt that the King gave you. It would be a real help." Taissan said.

"There's no way in hell that's going to happen! Like I would ever help you!" Dairine said disgusted by the mere suggestion of such a thing.

"Oh dear, you don't seem to understand. You don't have a choice. At least, not unless you're willing to watch him die once and for all."

"You wouldn't," Dairine said as she glared at him.

"You know I can and will if you don't give me what I want. You see, being the nice person that I am, I'm willing to strike a bargain with you. Give me the belt and after the ritual you will have your precious Roshaun back. Reject my offer and I'll kill him right now. Either way I benefit, so it's really up to you."

Dairine looked at Taissan for a long time as she realized that she came into this situation totally unprepared. She was willing to give up pretty much everything she had to save Roshaun, but was she willing to give up everything Roshaun had as well?


	7. Pertinent Information

**A/N: **Hello faithful readers. I'd like to thank the 3 people who have left reviews. I also appreciate the alerts and favorites, so basically anything that caused an email to show up in my inbox just about made my day Enjoy the chapter guys, and thanks for reading even if you didn't review.

**Chapter 7**

Nita had tried to make conversation with Roshaun and ask him about his experience in the past few months but whenever she asked him he would blatantly ignore her. Eventually he got up and walked away from them, leaving Nita rather annoyed.

"You know how he can be Neets, he's probably just in a bad mood because of the stressful situation," Kit said when he saw Nita tense up.

"I know, I know. I just wish he'd show a little more gratitude," Nita sighed as she leaned her head against Kit's shoulder.

Nita and Kit were sitting on the ground watching Roshaun wander about when all of the sudden he coughed. It wasn't just one of your run-of-the-mill average everyday cough that was caused by an unexplained tickle in your throat. It sounded like an old man who had stopped smoking after 50 years because he developed emphysema. It was very disturbing to listen to and made Nita and Kit much more concerned about the amount of time that Roshaun had left.

"Roshaun, you don't sound so good," Nita called out to him.

"I'm fine," Roshaun said ironically as he broke into another bout of coughing.

"How long have you been coughing like that?" Kit asked as he helped Nita stand. They walked over to him and saw that as he coughed there seemed to be tiny particles coming out of his mouth every time he coughed.

As she watched this, Nita realized how thin Roshaun was. He had always been somewhat slender but now he was almost frail. He also seemed to be almost translucent, like he was a holographic projection. His features all seemed softened and fuzzy and got gradually worse with every cough.

"Roshaun, you're wasting away as we speak! That's hardly what I would call 'fine'!" Nita said angrily.

"Well, there's hardly anything you two can do about it now is there?" Roshaun said bitterly.

"That's no excuse to purposefully be difficult," Nita said with clenched fists.

"Well, I've been alone feeling closer and closer to disappearing altogether and have been completely powerless to stop it for months now! I can practically see through my own hand and I feel less and less connected to this reality with every passing second! I probably made things worse just by trying to send a cry for help and now the so-called 'help' can't even save me! I'm slowly fading away while you ask me pointless questions so please excuse me if my attitude is not very accommodating at the moment."

Roshaun had been getting angrier and angrier as he slowly went closer and closer to Nita and Kit. Roshaun could see surprise on their faces but mostly there was pity, the very thing he had wanted to avoid.

It was one of those unexpected times that he suddenly missed Dairine. He found it odd before because she wasn't a very sympathetic person but as he thought about it he realized that her attitude was comforting in a way. She had high expectations and never put up with anything less no matter what the circumstances. The pain that came with her absence was surprisingly potent and he had a lot of time to think about their situation. It was odd to miss someone when he was literally seeing into her soul, but the soul is such an abstract place that it wasn't nearly the same thing. He couldn't even feel the presence of her mind that he'd grown accustomed to because wizardry worked so strangely in theses universes and the lack of that contact left him feeling like something was missing. The only consolation was that he at the very least knew she was still alive and that the universe was probably saved although it was a shame that he couldn't enjoy victory against the pullulus with her.

After Roshaun's outburst he seemed to have forgotten them as he lapsed into thought leaving Nita feeling abashed at her insensitivity.

"I'm sorry Roshaun," Nita said breaking him out of his reverie, "I know you've been in a bad spot but you have to try and hang on just a little longer. I'm sure Dairine is doing everything she can to get your body. I guess all this waiting has put me on edge."

"You are forgiven, but I too must apologize for my behavior. I must ask though, how are things… at home?" Roshaun asked uneasily.

"Well, after you disappeared Ponch basically became the canine version of the One and destroyed the remaining pullulus. Your planet has been fine as far as we know and your parents are keeping things under control," Kit said.

Roshaun nodded his head in thanks but had a look of reluctance on his face as if he had another question but couldn't quite bring himself to ask. After a minute he began to turn around and start wandering again when Nita said, "Dairine is ok, in case you're wondering."

"I'm glad. I would hope that no other wizards were seriously harmed…" Roshaun said trying to hide the fact that he was so concerned with her well being.

Nita saw right through this but decided to refrain from commenting.

They were just about to settle in and wait when the Mobiles suddenly rose for the ground, startling the three young wizards. Nita was just about to use the kernel to put them back to sleep when Kit stopped her saying, "wait, I don't think they're here to attack us this time."

Kit was right. They all just stood in place and starting screaming. The lava nearby started to move in huge waves and the ground started to shake.

Too loud for them to hear each other they had to use mind-speak instead.

_What's going on? _Nita thought.

_I think Dairine is under great distress for some reason… _Roshaun thought looking disturbed by Dairine's state of mind.

_What is going on out there? _Kit thought as he and Nita grasped each other in order to keep their balance.

_Well, I've got the kernel right? Maybe I can make it so that we can see and hear what she's experiencing right now, _Nita said.

_And please quiet everything down while you're at it, _Kit said rubbing his fingers against his temples because of the headache he started to get.

Nita manipulated some threads and eventually figured out how to show Dairine's visual perception. Once she was done a large square wall rose from the floor showing them what Dairine was seeing at the time like a movie projector. They saw a tall humanoid that appeared to be from Wellakh. As soon as Roshaun saw him he tensed with fear.

Finally Nita figured out how to produce sound and they heard the Wellakhi speak.

_"Ah, Dairine. I knew you'd show up. Now be a doll and hand over that Sun Belt that the King gave you. It would be a real help," _the Wellakhi said.

_ "There's no way in hell that's going to happen! Like I would ever help you!" _Dairine replied.

_ "Oh dear, you don't seem to understand. You don't have a choice. At least, not unless you're willing to watch him die once and for all."_

_ "You wouldn't."_

_ "You know I can and will if you don't give me what I want. You see, being the nice person that I am, I'm willing to strike a bargain with you. Give me the belt and after the ritual you will have your precious Roshaun back. Reject my offer and I'll kill him right now. Either way I benefit, so it's really up to you."_

Nita and Kit stared at each other in shock.

"Do you know this guy Roshaun?" Nita asked tentatively. Roshaun's fear had turned into fury and he glared at the figure with loathing.

"That is the man that tried to kill me and my father. His name is Taissan," Roshaun said.

"What does he want with your belt?" Kit asked.

"I think I know, and if I'm right and Dairine decides to make the exchange, then my planet will most certainly be doomed."

"What? Why?" Kit asked again confused.

"You see, he is likely going to perform a ceremony that will make him and his descendents the Guarantors of Wellakh, removing wizardry from me, my father, and any of my descendents. I imagine that Dairine knows this and is feeling conflicted, but what she does not know is that whenever there is a transfer of power from one party to another, the new predecessor has the opportunity to remake our species' choice. This information is strictly confidential for in the wrong hands it will lead to situations like the one we find ourselves in now. It is a secret for blood family members of the royal family only. My mother doesn't even know. I can't imagine how he found out. If we let this happen, the Lone One will have free reign over my people and I cannot let that happen."

"We have to tell Dairine!" Nita said as she looked back to the screen. She could see the Dairine's vision narrow as she glared at Taissan.

"We can't talk directly to her. Mind-speak and messaging are out since the manual doesn't function properly here. What else can we do?" Kit started pacing.

All three of them were quiet as they watched the screen, praying that they would be able to warn her before she made a huge mistake.


	8. Loopholes

**A/N: **Hey guys! Been trying to get this up but my account hasn't been letting me upload lately… Anyways, I'm not sure how well this chapter is written because I had to switch perspectives so many times. I tried to keep the subjects and pronouns clear but I apologize if it gets confusing. Also, thanks to TeenTypist for the reviews! I'm glad to know that I'm keeping everyone IC because I wasn't sure if the way I saw them would match everyone else's view of them. So without further ado, enjoy the new chapter everyone.

**Chapter 8: **Loopholes****

Dairine felt like she had been torn in half. What does Roshaun want? What do his people want? Hell, what did _she_ want? Neither option would work in her favor so it was starting to look like she was going to end up losing no matter what she chose to do. Dairine was definitely not happy with these circumstances and she was determined, and desperate, to find a way save both Roshaun and his people. But how? She had no back up. She couldn't even ask Nita or Kit for help because they were in her soul and no other wizards were in close enough range to speak mind to mind with. Where was Advisory when you needed it? They never let her get away with anything when she was trying to avoid their attention, but as soon as she required their assistance she'd be completely on her own. Typical.

Well, she knew that she couldn't get into the circle and take Roshaun's body unless Taissan invited her in or let down the wards. Neither seemed very likely to happen so her best bet was probably luring him out and forcing him to let them down somehow. How she would do this she hadn't quite figured out yet, so she'd have to make it up as she went along.

She put on her best defeated face, which wasn't very hard because she wasn't feeling all that faithful in her plan, and walked toward Taissan.

"Taissan, I've decided to give you the Sun Belt. You promise to give his body back once you've finished right?"

"Of course, child. Now where is it?" Taissan asked impatiently with his arms crossed.

Dairine reached into her other-space pocket, pulled it out and said, "I have it right here."

"Well don't stand there like your daft, girl. Bring it here!"

"Well, the wards are kind of in the way. You could always put them down and let me in," Dairine suggested in her best imitation of innocence.

Taissan didn't fall for it. "What do you take me for? Some sort of fool? You're lucky that I'm willing to return him to you after such an insult. Now drop it there and step back."

Dairine was not happy about that. She glared at him and made no move to put the Sun Belt down.

Taissan looked at her amused. Then he took a knife out of his belt, walked over to Roshaun's still body and picked up his hand.

"I suppose I could trim a few… extraneous body parts while you make me wait. Perhaps the removal of fingers will help keep me occupied as you make your decision, so by all means take your time."

This sent a cold chill down her spine that transformed into a heat wave, causing her to feel hot and cold at the same time. Her plan had failed and there was nothing left to do. She waited a few more seconds, hoping that some last minute miracle would fix everything, but this was obviously not going to happen. She knew Roshaun would want her to put his people first and keep the Sun Belt from Taissan and tried to steel herself in preparation to Taissan her decision. Unfortunately, this was the exact moment that Taissan decided to lower his knife towards Roshaun's weak defenseless hand and Dairine's resolve completely disappeared due to some inborn need to protect him that drowned out all the rational parts of her mind.

"WAIT! I'LL GIVE YOU THE SUN BELT!" Dairine screamed louder than intended and reached towards Roshaun even though she knew she couldn't reach him.

Taissan looked up at her with a smug smile on his face and switched his gaze between Roshaun's face and Dairine's with interest.

"I knew you'd come to your senses eventually. Now put it right there," Taissan pointed to the ground next to the ward.

Dairine slowly opened up the other-space pocket, reached in and took out the Sun Belt. She paused and looked at it, noticing how elegant and beautiful it was. There was a large gem stone in the center and the belt seemed to be made up of some sort of dark leather like material. It represented everything both she and Roshaun had been working for and she was about to just hand it over to an enemy, and indirectly The Enemy. Even though she knew how wrong this was, she just couldn't find it in her to let Roshaun die. Upon looking at the Sun Belt, something occurred to Dairine that would have put a huge smile on her face if Taissan hadn't been watching.

As she walked over to the designated spot she tried her hardest to remain stoic and show no emotion but as she put the Sun Belt on the ground she saw little drops of water dripping onto the Sun Belt. She then put her fingers to her face and realized that those little drops of water were tears and she quickly turned around and walked away, hoping that Taissan didn't see.

When she was a safe distance away, Taissan walked out of the circles he drew and over to the Sun Belt. He picked it up and brought it back into the ward, eying Dairine as he did so to make sure she didn't pull anything. Once he was behind the safety of the wards he turned around completely and placed the Sun Belt between himself and Roshaun. He backed up a few steps and began reading from a book.

He spoke with the Speech but the usual feeling of the universe leaning in to listen was different somehow, like the Forces listening were much older and more experienced. Taissan's voice seemed to activate a Wizardry ancient enough to originate from the creation of time. This Being had lain dormant for millennia and was not definitely not happy about being awaken. It couldn't be seen, but its presence felt. Taissan continued to speak, asking for a transfer of power and the Being that listened began to become very angry.

After a few more breaths Taissan stopped reading altogether and started to look afraid. Dairine had been watching the entire time and saw the Sun Belt float a few feet above the ground. The air began to shimmer and solidify, revealing a person who very much resembled a human. It appeared female and had long gray hair. She had an olive skin tone and was tall and lean. Her age could have been anywhere between 16 and 60 but she had obviously been around for an extremely long time. Her eyes were a piercing green color and they glared at Taissan with passion. Dairine was almost positive that she'd start shooting lasers out of her eyes when she suddenly turned and looked at the Sun Belt. Then she looked over to Roshaun and then surprisingly turned to look at Dairine. Fortunately her gaze softened a bit as if she recognized her, and then turned back to Taissan.

"Taissan, why have I been summoned?" the Being demanded.

"I've conducted this ritual in order to give Power to the rightful rulers. The people need a real leader, not this tyrant," Taissan said with absolute conviction.

"Oh really? I believe that you've done this for your own selfish, greedy reasons. I am one of the Eldest Powers and I am perfectly capable of seeing through your weak façade. I also see that you've made a significant error. In order for this to work, the Sun Belt must be attuned to your planet's star. However, when your Sun Belt has chosen a new owner and will no longer function for your purposes. This is just as well; I really would prefer not to be disturbed in the future. The current line of Guarantors will remain the protectors of this planet and these people until The Powers That Be decide it should be otherwise."

Even though her voice was technically at conversation volume, it could have been clearly heard miles away. It was very final and had a lot of power behind it, making Dairine almost afraid of what would happen next.

"You can't do this! You made the rule, you must abide by it as well! I don't care if you're the One himself, my request must be granted for it is my right!" Taissan cried.

He made as if to walk over and confront her but she raised a hand and froze him in his place. She looked at him with a chilling fury that made Dairine extremely glad she was not him. "This is not a right, it is a privilege. You have disrespected a Power and you're lucky that I don't remove you from existence right this instant. Know this, the Powers and I will not be anywhere near as lenient as we have been in the future and you are forbidden from using any form of magic ever again."

The Power then grabbed the Sun Belt from the air and carried it over to Dairine as Taissan's wards dissolved. "Child, I believe this is yours. Guard it with your life and go well."

Dairine gaped at the Power in too much awe to think of an intelligent response. Fortunately the Power didn't wait for one and within the next second she vanished. As soon as she was gone, Taissan could move once again and glowered at Dairine.

At that point Dairine snapped right back into her usual mode of knowing exactly what to do. She gave Taissan her best smile and put the Sun Belt back into her other-space pocket.

From the moment Taissan saw the Power's icy glare he had known that things were not going to go as planned. His world fell apart as soon as she left and after all the work he did there was nothing to show for it. Still, there was always one thing he could do. He could kill Roshaun and escape before he could be captured. Killing Roshaun would not only get back at Roshaun personally, but also his family and Dairine. Dairine especially needed to be taught a lesson in defying her betters. She knew from the moment she handed it over that the Sun Belt was tainted. Now she would pay!

Dairine knew immediately that Taissan was trying to kill Roshaun as he turned towards Roshaun's body and pulled out a knife. Dairine ran at full speed speaking the words that would shield Roshaun's body for harm. Taissan struck the shield and almost lost his balance when the knife bounced off. He quickly recovered though and looked as if he would try to slice through her shield, but at the last second he turned at threw his knife straight at Dairine.

Dairine had been so focused on protecting Roshaun that she hadn't had time to shield herself. She saw it coming and tried to dodge the knife but it cut Dairine's shoulder before she could get away. She felt the hard cold metal before she felt the burning pain. After a second of shock she put her hand up to her shoulder and when she pulled it back her fingers were coated with her blood. Dairine never was one to be squeamish but something about seeing her own blood in front of her made her nauseous.

Dairine started tried to run over to Taissan but as she moved she started to see black dots and was extremely close to passing out. She stopped and saw Taissan running for the hills. No way was she letting him escape after all he had done. With the last bit of energy she had she cast a spell that would transit him to the Palace. It was extremely dangerous to do so without his full name, but she wouldn't be too upset if he ended up accidentally making a wrong turn and got trapped in some dimension where the natives thought of his kind as nourishment.

After he disappeared Dairine let down the shield and walked over to Roshaun's body. She was exhausted and her head was spinning due to blood loss but none of that affected her joy and relief and finally recovering Roshaun's body. She set up the spell that would send his body to wherever Kit and Nita were so that they could make Roshaun whole again.

Just as she ended the spell with the wizard's knot she collapsed to the ground and no matter how hard she tried her body refused to get up. After a certain point Dairine came to peace with the fact that she was probably going to die and patiently awaited TimeHeart as her vision slowly faded to black and she completely lost consciousness.


	9. Resolutions

**A/N: **Sorry about the wait everyone. You might notice that I added chapter names to each chapter. I did this because, though I am extremely bad at naming things, it felt wrong for them not to have titles. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and the story as a whole.

**Chapter 9: Resolutions**

Roshaun, Nita and Kit had just seen Dairine black out. Roshaun felt very distraught being unable to find out what happened and fix it somehow. Nita and Kit were feeling the same thing to some extent, but they were also very concerned about Roshaun's well being. He had faded to the point where you could faintly see your hand through his abdomen if he stood in front of a light source.

Roshaun was lying on the ground working through his frustration as Nita and Kit watched him with concern when out of nowhere there was a large displacement of air. Startled, Nita stumbled back into Kit, knocking them both over and sending them sprawling on top of Roshaun.

"Get off of me! I am a King! How dare you violate my personal space! If I wasn't feeling so ill I—" Roshaun broke off his rant as soon as he saw what had appeared so suddenly. Nita saw his face break into an enormous grin as he got up. When she saw what he was looking at she realized that it was Roshaun's body. There was something disconcerting about seeing two Roshauns at the same time. Having one was certainly plenty.

"Finally. Looks like it came just in time, Roshaun. You weren't looking too hot up until now," Kit said as he helped Nita to her feet. "So how do we put you back together?"

"I think physical contact will suffice…" Roshaun replied distractedly. There was a look of awe on his face as he slowly reached out towards his body. As soon as he touched his body there was a blinding light that seemed to consume everything. Nita and Kit shielded their eyes with their hands but they still couldn't block the light. After a minute or so the light faded to the point where it was bearable. Nita and Kit both opened their eyes and saw only one Roshaun standing before them. He now had a solidarity that had been hadn't been there when they first found him. He started flexing his arms, testing them out to make sure they were in the same condition he left them in.

By the time he seemed to remember that Nita and Kit were still there it was as if all traces of his former bad mood had been erased. He even _smiled _at them. _Smiled_. The happiest expression he had ever given Nita was an amused smirk. This was a side of Roshaun she had never seen before and doubted that she would see any time in the near future.

Roshaun's exuberance died down a little as he remembered that he had his dignity to think about and tried to recreate his usual air of cool indifference but no matter how hard he tried there was still a little quark in the corner of his mouth that just refused to relax.

"How're you feeling Roshaun?" Kit asked. It obvious that Roshaun felt much better but no one ever died from double checking.

"Complete. The hollow feeling I had has totally disappeared." This wasn't completely true. There was still a strange empty loneliness in his mind that he could never quite fill on his own.

"Great!" Nita said. "Now let's get back home and find out how Dairine managed this." This statement immediately reminded them that Dairine had mysteriously passed out and they still had no idea what happened.

Coincidentally there was another explosion of sound that resulted in the appearance of Dairine. She was lying on the ground with her eyes closed and her hand gripping her shoulder. That look of pure joy surprisingly reappeared on Roshaun's face for a split second before Dairine's eyes opened. Dairine and Kit may have missed it, but Nita saw and smiled slightly to herself.

"Whoa, what are you guys doing here?" Dairine asked when she saw Kit and Nita. Then she looked around and her eyes instantly locked with Roshaun's. There was a huge mix of conflicting emotions that washed through her. Slowly she got up, never breaking eye contact and walked over to him. She stared for a few more seconds and then, seemingly out of nowhere, punched Roshaun in the shoulder as hard as she could. This shocked pretty much everyone but what was even more shocking was that right after she punched Roshaun she tackled him in a bear hug. By the look on Roshaun's face he obviously wasn't quite sure how to respond. Eventually he hugged her back and they just clung to each other for a minute. Nita, feeling awkward just watching, nudged kit in the arm with her elbow and motioned for them to give Roshaun and Dairine some privacy.

Dairine was normally in total control of her actions, but seeing Roshaun triggered some emotions that overrode all rational thought. Her first emotion was fury and it decided to make Roshaun hurt so he would have some idea how she had felt for the last few months. Her second emotions were relief and happiness that he was ok and that there was no longer a need to worry. Well, no more than usual anyway. All thoughts of the possible embarrassment for such a display of emotion flew out the window as she hugged him, trying to convince herself that he was really there.

As they sat there, Roshaun realized how much he missed the aggressive red head. He knew that her absence in his head was uncomfortable but he hadn't realized how much he'd come to like her being there. If this had happened when they first met he would have been appalled by the very idea of breathing the same air as such a commoner let alone sharing thoughts. Now, he discovered that this girl was anything but common and that he'd grown to respect and care for her without noticing until it was too late to stop it from happening. How much he cared for her was to be sorted out at another time but for now, he would just enjoy the fact that she was there with him.

Unfortunately the moment couldn't last because Dairine pulled away as she realized that she wasn't on planet Wellakh any longer.

"Wait a second, where am I? How did I get here?" she asked as she whipped her head back and forth trying to get her bearings.

"What do you mean? You're inside your own soul. Are you saying that you didn't come here one purpose?" Roshaun asked.

"No. I sent Taissan back to the palace right after…" Dairine stopped talking and put her hand back to her shoulder. It didn't take long to put two and two together. She was unconscious and the only reason she was there was because her metaphysical reality was stronger than the physical one at the moment. This was probably the place she went whenever she slept and dreamed and was likely not to remember anything when she woke up. If she woke up.

"I think I may be dying from blood loss. You, Nita and Kit need to get back to Wellakh and figure out what's going on. Now where did those two get to?" Dairine started to get up and walk away when Roshaun grabbed her arm. She turned back and saw an icy cold glare that she was hoping wasn't caused by her.

"Did you say 'dying from blood loss'?" he asked.

"Well, Taissan kind of threw a knife at me and it caught me off guard. Got me in the shoulder and must have been deeper than I thought," Dairine replied. "Anyway, where did Nita and Kit get to? Nita! There are more important things to deal with than making out with your new boyfriend!"

Dairine looked around expectantly and sure enough Nita and Kit came walking towards them with a remarkable lack of enthusiasm.

"Was that really necessary? You have no right to make such assumptions and scream them to the heavens like that!" Nita said with annoyance.

"Sure, whatever. That's not important right now. What's important is that you guys and Roshaun go make sure everything's going ok on Wellakh because I'm unconscious right now and can't get back. Now get a move on!" Dairine said as she made a shooing motion with her hands.

"Hold on, did you say—"Nita was cut off by Dairine pushing her towards the spell diagram Roshaun was setting up and saying, "Roshaun will explain later. Now you need to go!"

"You sure you'll be alright here by yourself?" Kit asked knowing that Nita was too irritated right then to ask herself.

"Well, considering the fact I'm technically always here alone, I imagine I'll be perfectly fine. I can do anything I want right?"

"Oh that reminds me! This is your kernel. Take care, runt," Nita said affectionately as she held the kernel out to her sister and quickly ruffled her hair, knowing that Dairine would hate it.

Dairine glared at her then took the kernel with a mischievous glint in her eye that made Nita glad she wouldn't be around when Dairine started using it.

Once Dairine stepped away from the spell diagram Nita, Kit and Roshaun started speaking the words that would send them back to Wellakh. The very last thing Nita saw was Dairine looking right back at her, completely confident that they would succeed. Nita just hoped that her confidence wasn't misplaced.

~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~-.-~

Once they got back to the Palace, Kit was exhausted. And no, it wasn't from the transit, though that certainly didn't help. It was all the emotional stress he'd been through for the One knows how long he'd been in there. He and Roshaun may not be best friends or anything but he had been worried. He knew that dying was something that was a part of Life and he'd learned to accept that a long time ago. Nevertheless, understanding something didn't mean that he couldn't be hurt by it anymore. If anything it was worse _because_ he had an in depth understanding of death. He was happy that they could save Roshaun even though Roshaun had been less than gracious. Now there was Dairine to worry about, which was even worse because he knew her a lot longer and they'd become somewhat close. He wasn't sure he could imagine a life without her annoyingly sharp presence and was positive that Nita couldn't.

As Kit and Nita trailed Roshaun through the Palace, they gawked at almost everything they saw. There were so many ornate decorations it was hard to take in all at once. Gold was obviously a popular color among the people here and it was could be found in any given room in several different shades. Kit could've sworn that he saw a servant sweeping the corridors with a broom that had golden bristles. He felt a bit intimidated and knew that Nita was having similar thoughts because she put her hand in his and squeezed it nervously as they were walking.

Roshaun had been quietly brooding during the whole trip so far and his mood showed little chance of improving up until they came across a woman who Kit could only assume was his mother. She had turned a corner and nearly ran into the three of them but as soon as she saw them she pulled Roshaun into a hug. Roshaun stood still for a minute then hugged her back hard. His mother openly cried while Roshaun's shoulders trembled slightly as he tried not to cry as well. After a moment she pulled back and looked him up and down.

"My dear boy, you're looking thin and you need nourishment. Come, you can eat while you introduce me to your friends," the Sun Queen said with a huge grin, wiping tears from her face.

"Mother, as much as I'd love to catch up we must find Dhairine. Something is wrong with her and we must find her immediately to remedy the situation," Roshaun said holding the Queen at the shoulders.

"Oh! How could I forget? She's here. When Taissan appeared in the middle of the Palace we knew she had found a way to save you but when she didn't come back for hours afterwards I sent out a search party and they found her unconscious on the ground covered in blood. They rushed her here and the medics have been caring for her ever since. We have very similar body structures so it was easy enough to find medicines that would prevent infection and keep her sedated enough to allow the medics to patch her back up. Would you like to see her?"

"Yes ma'am. Thank you for taking care of her," Nita nodded her head.

Roshaun's mother smiled and said, "No need to thank me. I have grown very fond of her and couldn't stand to let her be hurt. You are her sister I presume? And you must be her partner Kit."

"She's told you about us?" Kit asked.

"She has mentioned you both in passing, but she is always so focused on her training that we have not spoken as much as I would like. Roshaun, you must promise me that you will bring her over more often under more pleasant circumstances. If you do not keep in touch with friends you become a very lonely king and as your mother I will not stand for it."

Roshaun blushed furiously as Kit and Nita tried their best not to laugh but the Queen either ignored this and proceeded to walk down a hallway and open a door at the end. Inside Dairine was lying on a bed. She looked paler than usual but otherwise ok. She had what appeared to be a silk gown on and bandages were peeking from beneath the collar.

"The sedatives should wear off soon," the Queen said, "and once she awakens she will be well enough to return home. Please tell her that I am extremely grateful and owe the three of you so much for bringing my son home safely. You are always welcome here."

Roshaun's mother smiled and left them in the room and they all stood there staring at Dairine, just waiting for her to open her eyes. After a while Nita wasn't sure she could take the silence anymore. She was just about to say something to break the silence when Dairine's face scrunched up. She then rubbed her eyes and yawned as if she was just waking from an afternoon nap instead of an induced coma.

"Hey guys, I guess everything turned out ok," Dairine said as she tried to sit up and winced as pain shot up her arm. She could feel the stitches that were holding her skin together and was glad that someone found her and gave her the necessary medical attention.

"Are you feeling alright?" Nita asked with worry.

"My shoulder hurts like hell, but I'll live," Dairine replied.

"Dad is so going to kill me when he finds out I let you get hurt," Nita said shaking her head.

"You could always distract him from my injury by telling him about you and Kit," Dairine suggested with a deceptively innocent face.

"You think you can walk?" Kit cut in before Nita and Dairine could start arguing.

"Yeah, the drugs they gave me don't cause dizziness or anything. Do you guys see my clothes anywhere?"

"If they're still here, you probably shouldn't wear them. They probably got covered in blood and I'm not sure how Dad would handle seeing his daughter looking like something out of a horror movie," Nita said.

"You're probably right. These are pretty comfortable, let's just go now."

Dairine threw the sheets off of her got out of bed. Nita and Kit walked out the door first and Dairine started to follow.

Before she could go she heard Roshaun thinking, _Don't leave yet._

Dairine stopped and turned around surprised to hear his thoughts in her head after such a long time. _What's wrong? _Dairine thought back.

_I haven't actually thanked you yet._

_ It's ok. What are friends for? _Dairine thought, mentally stumbling over the word 'friends.' She wasn't entirely sure how to describe their relationship, but friends didn't really seem to cover it.

During their silent conversation Roshaun had walked very close to Dairine. He was taller than her so she felt dwarfed as he looked down upon her, eyes blazing with some emotion that Dairine couldn't quite identify.

_I believe that 'friends' would be poor word choice, don't you? _Roshaun thought back.

_Well, I don't suppose you have a better idea? _Dairine thought feeling irritated.

Roshaun was now standing right in front of Dairine and leaning very close to her face. Their noses were almost touching and Dairine could feel his breathe on her face, making her heart beat erratically. She became overwhelmed with the outrageous desire to kiss him but before she could act upon it Roshaun abruptly pulled away and grinned at her as if he knew exactly what he'd done and enjoyed watching her suffer. She tried to hear what he was thinking but he had effectively closed off his thoughts.

Dairine was infuriated but she tried her best to keep her face neutral, wondering why she ever thought that saving him was a good idea.

"You will figure it out soon enough," Roshaun said aloud. Dairine wanted nothing more than to smack the smirk off his face but instead she decided to turn around and stomp out of the room while her dignity was still somewhat intact.

As Dairine walked out of the room Roshaun stared after her. He made a promise to himself that as long as he lived he would do everything in his power to remain by her side and ensure her safety and happiness even when she didn't want him there. With that in mind, Roshaun set off in search of Dairine, thinking of the never ending arguments he was sure to face while in her company and looking forward to every second of it.

**A/N: **This will be the last chapter if I don't write an epilogue. I'm not exactly sure how happy I am with how I ended this chapter, but I think it's time I wrapped the story up. I guess if people ask for one I'll write an epilogue but otherwise, this is it. I'd also appreciate an overall review, just discussing things I did well, what needed improvement, how you guys felt about my OC, etc. Thanks for staying with me till the end guys!


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